Lorenzo ‘convinced’ Iannone is innocent of doping allegations

Three-time MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo says he is “convinced” Italian rider Andrea Iannone is innocent of the doping allegations brought against him.

Iannone has been handed an 18-month suspension for doping by FIM after he tested positive for anabolic steroid late last year.

The 30-year-old insists he is innocent and that the drugs test picked up contamination from meat he had consumed, but the panel refused to accept this explanation during deliberations in March.

Iannone intends to appeal the ruling in the Court for Arbitration of Sport (CAS).

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In a social media post on Tuesday, Lorenzo posted a photo of himself and Iannone together in Switzerland and wrote beneath the photo that he believes Iannone is innocent.

“Yesterday we went for a walk on the lake and chatted for a while,” he wrote. “We laugh remembering some anecdotes and I also asked him about his issue.

“He is the only one who knows the truth, but when I was listening to him I saw him serene and his arguments convinced me. Like everyone, surely Andrea has made mistakes in the past, but I think this time the ‘mistake’ was not voluntary.

“So I hope and I wish that sooner than later he’ll be considered free to practice what he does best. In the end, you may like his ‘character’ or not but it is clear that the boy has talent and speed. And as I said yesterday: ‘Talent is neither bought nor forgotten.'”

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Todos son amigos tuyos cuando las cosas te van bien, pero muchos desaparecen cuando tienes problemas. No me considero amigo de Andrea Iannone y nunca había subido una foto con el. Así que, quizá porque siempre me ha gustado llevar la contraria, no veo mejor momento que hacerlo hoy, cuando seguramente mas lo necesite. Ayer fuimos a dar una paseo por el lago y charlamos un rato. Nos reímos recordando algunas anécdotas y también le pregunte por su tema. Lo cierto es que la verdad solo la sabe el, pero al escucharle lo ví sereno, seguro y sus argumentos me convencieron. Como todos, seguramente Andrea haya cometido errores en el pasado, pero creo que esta vez el “error” no ha sido voluntario. Así que espero y deseo que pronto se le considere libre de practicar lo que mejor sabe hacer. Al final, su “personaje” te puede gustar más o menos pero esta claro que el chico tiene talento y velocidad. Y como dije ayer: “El talento ni se compra ni se olvida”. – They are all friends of yours when things go well, but many disappear when you have problems. I do not consider myself a friend of Andrea Iannone and I have never uploaded a picture with him. So, perhaps because I have always liked do the opposite, I don't see a better time than doing it today, when surely he need it the most. Yesterday we went for a walk on the lake and chatted for a while. We laugh remembering some anecdotes and I also asked him about his issue. He is the only one who knows the truth, but when I was listening to him I saw him serene and his arguments convinced me. Like everyone, surely Andrea has made mistakes in the past, but I think this time the “mistake” was not voluntary. So I hope and I wish that sooner than later he’ll be considered free to practice what he does best. In the end, you may like his "character" or not but it is clear that the boy has talent and speed. And as I said yesterday: "Talent is neither bought nor forgotten."

A post shared by JORGE LORENZO (@jorgelorenzo99) on May 5, 2020 at 9:27am PDT